Also 5–6 sownd(e, sounde; 5 sone, soune, 6 sowne. [ad. OF. sonder (Sp. and Pg. sondar), f. sonde SOUND sb.5]
† 1. intr. To sink in, penetrate, pierce. Obs.
13[?]. Coer de L., 405. He smote hym on hys basinet A grete dente withouten let; It sounded to hys cheke bone.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, II. 533. So sore hath she me woundid … That to myn hertis botme it is ysounded.
c. 1400. Destr. Troy, 495. With a Sykyng vnsounde, þat sonet to hir hert. Ibid., 5284. Hit sothely with sorow sounys to my hert.
2. Naut. To employ the line and lead, or other appropriate means, in order to ascertain the depth of the sea, a channel, etc., or the nature of the bottom. Also fig. (quot. 1663).
c. 1485. Digby Myst. (1882), III. 1397. Her is a fayer haven to se! connyngly In, loke þat ye sownd.
1530. Palsgr., 726/1. Sownde, mariner, let us se what water we have to spare.
1555. Eden, Decades, I. IX. (Arb.), 97. Soundinge with theyr plummet they founde it to bee .xvi. fathames deepe.
1617. Moryson, Itin., I. 60. There sounding with our plummet, sand of Amber stuck thereunto.
1663. Butler, Hud., I. i. 505. To make them dip themselves, and sound For Christendom in dirty Pond.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 331. Men went overboard with poles in their hands, sounding, as we call it, for deeper water.
1836. Marryat, Midsh. Easy, xxx. A man leaped into the chains, and lowering down the lead, sounded in seven fathoms.
1856. Kane, Arct. Expl., II. xxiv. 236. We were compelled … to sound ahead with the boat-hook.
transf. 1649. Lovelace, The Scrutinie, iii. Like skilfull Minerallists that sound For Treasure in un-plow’d-up ground.
1828. P. Cunningham, N. S. Wales (ed. 3), II. 25. I sounded with the ramrod, and finding the charge still in the barrel, forthwith complied with Ben’s request.
b. fig. To make inquiry or investigation.
1793. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1859), IV. 23. They have sent commissioners to England to sound for peace.
1825. T. Hook, Sayings, Ser. II. Sutherl., I. 33. I have sounded carefully, and happen to know that I am correct in my information.
1825. Carlyle, Life Schiller, I. (1845), 16. His thoughts … had sounded into the depths of his own nature.
3. a. Of the lead: To go down; to touch bottom.
1610. Shaks., Temp., V. i. 56. And deeper then did euer Plummet sound Ile drowne my booke.
1837. Marryat, Perc. Keene, xxxviii. When sixteen fathoms were out the lead sounded.
b. Of a whale: To go deep under water; to dive.
1839. T. Beale, Nat. Hist. Sperm Whale, 164. The whale suddenly disappears; he has ‘sounded.’
1845. J. Coulter, Adv. in Pacific, vii. 86. The whale did not, as usual, sound, but after the breach, made off.
1887. Goode, Fisheries U.S., 265. If the whale sounds, the crew lay by awaiting its reappearance upon the surface for respiration.
transf. 1895. Outing, XXVII. 223/2. Away sped my salmon,… and again sounded to the bottom and sulked.
4. trans. To investigate (water, etc.) by the use of the line and lead or other means, in order to ascertain the depth or the quality of the bottom; to measure or examine in some way resembling this.
c. 1460. Towneley Myst., iii. 438. Now the water will I sownd.
1557. Burrough, in Hakluyt, Voy. (1589), 327. Sunday I sounded the barre of Zolatitsa, which the Russes tolde me was a good harborow, but in the best of it I found but 4. foote water.
1584. B. R., trans. Herodotus, II. 76. Psammetichus … sounding the waters with a rope of many miles in length, was vnable to feele any ground or bottome.
1604. E. G[rimstone], D’Acosta’s Hist. Indies, III. xiii. 159. It is so deepe in some places that it cannot be sounded.
1685. Travestin, Siege Newheusel, 33. August the third, we sounded the Ditch, and found on the East side four foot of water yet left.
1748. Anson’s Voy., II. xi. 258. Our boats … were ordered out … to sound the harbour and its entrance.
1762. Falconer, Shipwr., II. 249. They sound the well, and … Along the line four wetted feet appear.
1836. Penny Cycl., V. 266/1. Persons … whose regular business is to sound the bed of the river.
1863. [W. F. Campbell], Life in Normandy, I. 110. He … found a muddy man sounding a hole with the butt end of a driving whip.
transf. 1581. A. Hall, Iliad, IX. 171. The wine they weakly sounde, On earth the rest they throwe.
1639. N. N., trans. Du Bosq’s Compl. Woman, I. 56. Laocoon who tooke his Lance in his hand to sound this Machine, was punished for his Curiositie.
b. To measure (depth) in this way.
1628–9. Digby, Voy. Medit. (Camden), 89. We haled out fore sailes vpon the backestayes and sounded the depth of the water.
1681. W. Robertson, Phraseol. Gen., 1151. To sound the depth with a sounding line.
1728. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Sounding, Dr. Hook has invented a manner of Sounding the Depth of the deepest Sea, without any Line.
c. With out: To survey by means of soundings.
1860. Maury, Phys. Geog. Sea, 3. To organize and set on foot … a plan for ‘sounding out’ the ocean with the plummet.
5. In fig. contexts: To measure, or ascertain, as by sounding.
1589. Nashe, Anat. Absurdity, Wks. (Grosart), I. 70. Beginning to sound the infinite depth of these misteries.
a. 1601. Pasquil & Kath. (1878), I. 319. If you haue any weight of judgement, you may easily sound what depth of wits they draw.
1642. Fuller, Holy & Prof. St., V. xiv. 412. His wealth is so deep a gulf, no riot can ever sound the bottome of it.
1681. Dryden, Abs. & Achit., 467. And who can sound the depth of David’s Soul?
1739. Wesley, Hymn, ‘And can it be,’ ii. In vain the first-born seraph tries To sound the depths of Love Divine.
1824. W. Irving, T. Trav., I. 318. He soon sounded the depth of my character.
1847. Tennyson, Princess, II. 159. Two plummels dropt for one to sound the abyss Of science.
1863. Cowden Clarke, Shaks. Char., xi. 276. His mind intellectual plumb hath never yet sounded.
refl. 1802. Wordsw., Sonn. Liberty, V. 13. Happy is he, who … can sound himself to know The destiny of Man.
6. To approach (a person) with conversation or inquiries intended to elicit his opinion or feeling on some matter; to examine or question in an indirect manner.
1575. Fenton, Gold. Epist. (1582), 233. Sounding them, she remayned iudge of their wittes and opinions.
1598. Bacon, Ess., Of Negotiating (Arb.), 90. It is better to sound a person … a farre off, then to fal vppon the pointe at first.
1619. Visct. Doncaster, in England & Germany (Camden), 118. According to the Comandement I receyved from your Matie I have endevored to sound this Prince your sone.
1645. Milton, Tetrach., Wks. 1851, IV. 205. Another time about the punishment of adultery they came to sound him.
1713. Addison, Cato, I. iii. I’ve sounded my Numidians, man by man, And find ’em ripe for a revolt.
1755. Washington, Lett., Writ. 1889, I. 216. I wish you would sound him on this head.
1818. Scott, Hrt. Midl., li. He sounded Butler on this subject, asking what he would think of an English living.
1849. Macaulay, Hist. Eng., ix. II. 402. Russell opened the design to Shrewsbury. Sidney sounded Halifax.
1885. Manch. Exam., 21 July, 4/6. Foreign financial agents … have been privately and unofficially sounded on the subject.
b. To investigate, to search into, to seek to ascertain (a matter, a person’s views, etc.), esp. by cautious or indirect questioning; to make trial of in this way. Also with out.
1579. Tomson, Calvin’s Serm. Tim., 281/1. We must beare with many faultes, we must be vpright, and not sounde out matters of most rigorous sorte.
1596. Drayton, Legends, ii. 128. Yet sought he then the King’s intent to sound.
1650. R. Stapylton, Strada’s Low-C. Warres, 92. By his Letters sounding the inclination of the Duke and Dutchess.
1667. Milton, P. L., V. 700. The false Arch-Angel … casts between Ambiguous words … to sound Or taint integritie.
1734. trans. Rollin’s Anc. Hist. (1827), VII. XVII. 141. He therefore thought it prudent to despatch an embassy in order to sound their dispositions.
1755. Washington, Lett., Writ. 1889, I. 159. I should be glad if you could sound their pulse upon that occasion.
1823. Lamb, Elia, II. Old Margate Hoy. He was none of your hesitating, half story-tellers … who go on sounding your belief.
1858. Froude, Hist. Eng., III. xii. 4. Cardinal Granvelle was instructed to sound the disposition of Francis.
c. To find out by investigation. rare–1.
1596. Lodge, Wits Miserie & World’s Madn., N iiij. Yet as subtill as they [sc. fiends] are, I haue sounded them out, and … know them.
† 7. To understand; to fathom. Obs.
1592. Kyd, Sp. Trag., I. v. 24. I sound not well the misterie.
1631. Heywood, Fair Maid of West, I. III. i. Besse. Captaine she is thine owne. Goodl. I sound it not.
1655. Nicholas Papers (Camden), II. 173. The fleete is said to be gone to sea, but wee cannot sound the designe.
8. Surg. To examine by means of a sound, esp. for the stone; † to probe.
1597. [see SOUNDING vbl. sb.2 4].
1640. Fuller, Joseph’s Coat, David Repent., xvii. (1867), 224. Nathan, than whom was none more skilled … with a searching tent To sound the sore.
1738. Phil. Trans., XL. 372. But the Night following the Pains return’d, which made him resolve to come to Lisle, to be nearer at Hand to be sounded.
1830. S. Cooper, Dict. Pract. Surg. (ed. 6), 814. The patient being sounded after the fourth [operation] by one of the most dextrous lithotomists in Paris.
1891. Moullin, Surg., 1209. In sounding a bladder a definite plan should be followed.
